OMB Watch and the Center for Lobbying in the Public Interest filed joint comments on draft instructions for the new IRS Form 990 on May 30 that asked the agency to clarify instructions for reporting lobbying and partisan election activities.

President Bush has nominated a new nominee for the Federal Election Commission (FEC), as The Hill describes, "to jump-start negotiations with Senate Democrats." To replace Hans von Spakovsky Bush nominated Matthew Petersen, currently a Republican staffer on the Senate Rules and Administration Committee. Meanwhile, after the Senate Rules Committee was unable to get a quorum on Wed. May 21 to vote on whether to approve three new FEC commissioners, the Committee successfully did so the following day. Hopefully these nominations will move to the Senate floor for confirmation soon.

Millions of Americans, especially in rural and low-income urban areas don't have high speed Internet access. The Communications Workers of America (CWA) is running a public policy and awareness campaign, Speed Matters, advocating for a national high speed network. Last year OMB Watch helped spread the word about the Speed Matters project. Speed Matters used thousands of online speed tests from regular Americans across the country to develop a state-by-state report on Internet connection speed.

BNA Money and Politics ($$) reports that registered lobbyists will soon have to start reporting their political and charitable contributions, "and to swear that they have not violated congressional gift rules." The new form will be known as LD-203 and will be available in June. The first reports are due July 30.